


The Light to Guide Me Home (A Tale as Old as Time)

by amberdowny



Category: Beauty and the Beast (1991), Beauty and the Beast (2017), One Direction (Band)
Genre: Beauty and the Beast, Disney, Disney AU, Liam as Beast, M/M, Zayn as Beauty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-09
Updated: 2019-05-09
Packaged: 2020-02-28 18:47:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18762271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amberdowny/pseuds/amberdowny
Summary: And so the prince knew he was doomed to his fate, for who could ever love a beast?





	The Light to Guide Me Home (A Tale as Old as Time)

**Author's Note:**

> I intended for this to be much longer and fully retell the movie(s). But alas, we have only a few of my favorite scenes.

_Prologue_

 

Once upon a time, there was a young prince. His parents, the King and Queen, loved him and his sisters, the Princesses, very much. The prince was a shy boy, quiet and well-behaved. The only mischief he got into was because of his friends and playmates, the servants’ children. He sometimes heard his parents talking about whether it was proper for him to play with the help; his father said it was not, but his mother said it was fine for now. All in all, he had a very normal childhood.

 

Until tragedy struck. When he was just six years old, his entire family was killed in a terrible accident on a journey he had been deemed too young to accompany them on. Having no other relations, he was left to be brought up by the servants. They did their best, but they soon spoiled the boy in their grief and pity. The tutor the King and Queen had appointed for him, however, was a harsh taskmaster with never a kind word to spare. He was distantly related to the royal family who ruled the next kingdom, and spoke at length about how a proper royal would never treat servants like family. He discouraged the prince from playing with his friends, and in this way twisted the prince into a brilliant but cruel young man.

 

One cold, rainy night, an old beggar woman came to the castle. She asked the prince for shelter from the storm, but, repulsed by her appearance, the prince turned her away. She asked a second time, warning the prince not to deny her again. He simply laughed derisively and ordered her out.

 

At this, the old woman’s appearance began to change, melting away to reveal that she wasn’t an old woman at all, but a beautiful young enchantress. She put a curse on the prince, the castle, and everyone who lived there, despite the head of the kitchen and the head housekeeping begging her to reconsider, that the prince was just a child. Then the enchantress vanished, leaving behind only an enchanted rose. The rose would bloom for ten years, until the prince’s twenty-first birthday. If the last petal fell before the prince could learn to love and be loved in return, the curse would become permanent.

 

When the tutor arrived at the castle the following morning (for he did not live there), he fled upon discovering what it had become. And so the prince knew he was doomed to his fate, for who could ever love a beast?

 

 

_Nine Years Later_

 

“Louis,” Zayn said to the candelabra, “Would you mind coming to my room tonight? I’d like to read before I go to bed. You can bring Harry if you like, I don’t mind if you talk to each other. It’s just, all of the candles that aren’t alive are all used up, and I prefer your company to any of the other candelabras. None of them have ever talked to me, and it’s creepy that they’re just standing there pretending not to be alive.”

 

Louis chuckled. “They do that. The thing is, they’re from another country and they barely speak our language, they did the same thing before they were turned into candelabras. And they haven’t had much opportunity to learn, what with the castle being empty and not being able to go out.”

 

“Oh.” Zayn felt bad for a moment that he had judged them so harshly.

 

“But of course I’ll come to your room. I live to serve.”

 

“And you have nothing better to do,” Zayn teased.

 

Louis nodded, “True, true, the lack of opposable thumbs does limit my activities a bit.”

 

Zayn headed towards his room, Louis hopping along at his side. “Oi, Harry!” he called as they passed the clock, “want to come to Zayn’s room with me? He needs me, and I need you.”

 

Harry followed immediately, even as he asked, “What do you need me for?”

 

“Well,” Louis began, “Zayn needs me so he can see to read. And if he’s reading, he won’t be talking to me. So I need you to entertain me.”

 

Harry sighed fondly. “Of course you do.”

 

The trio made their way up the spiraling stone staircase and down the drafty corridors, lit with sparse sconces. It had been absolutely terrifying when Zayn first came here, but he was used to it by now. And accompanied by Louis, the shadows were fought back with every step, or hop, they took.

 

“How’s Liam doing?” Zayn asked Harry as they drew nearer to his room.

 

Harry shrugged. “He says he’s fine, and he’s using his arm a bit more. I think he really will be fine. You did a good job taking care of him.”

 

“He did save my life from wolves, it was the least I could do, patching him up,” Zayn replied. “I mean, even though he did capture me in the first place. It’s not so bad here though, I suppose.” He stopped outside the door to his room and opened it up. “Although I do wish I had more than one book with me,” he added offhandedly, taking the aforementioned book from his pocket and tossing it onto the bed gently, before undressing for bed and crawling in after it.

 

Louis hopped obligingly closer, and Harry followed. The candelabra and the clock conversed quietly together as Zayn read late into the night before finally falling asleep with the book on his chest. Louis extinguished his flames and he and Harry crept quietly from the room, pulling the door almost shut behind themselves.

 

“Goodnight, love,” Louis murmured to Harry.

  
“Goodnight, Lou,” Harry replied. “See you in the morning.”

 

 

Liam watched from the balcony as Zayn played in the snow with the dog, making snowballs for him to try to catch. The dog mostly missed them, probably because of not having a proper mouth, but he seemed to be having a good time anyway, barking joyously and wiggling his entire back half in lieu of having a tail.

 

“I’ve never felt this way about anyone,” Liam confessed to Harry and Louis, standing on the railing beside him. He subconsciously rubbed his bandaged arm. “I want to do something for him,” he said, with conviction. Then, faltering, he turned to the other two. “But what?”

 

“Well, there’s the usual things,” Harry said, a gleam of mischief in his eyes. “Flowers, chocolates, promises you don’t intend to keep--”

 

Louis hip-checked Harry playfully. “Oh no, no, it has to be something very special, something that sparks his interest. Wait a minute!” he exclaimed. “Last night, he said that he wished he had more than one book. You should show him the library and let him go there whenever he wants.”

 

“Or,” Liam said excitedly, getting into the spirit, “I could _give_ him the library! Do you really think he’d like it?”

 

Harry nodded. “He definitely would, he’s always reading. Good thinking, Lou-miere.”

 

“Harrryyyy,” Louis whined.

 

“Yes, Lou-miere?” Harry replied innocently.

 

Louis turned to Liam. “Liam, Harry’s being mean to me.”

 

“Did you really just tattle to the prince on me, that hasn’t worked since we were kids!”

 

“Lou, shut up, Harry isn’t being mean to you, he’s being adorable,” Liam said. “He’s got a cute pet name for you, don’t complain.”

 

Louis pouted, but desisted when Harry nudged him. “Aw Lou, stop pouting. I just want to kiss it off you and I can’t.” Louis thought back to their attempts at kissing and sighed. Clocks and candelabras just didn’t have compatible structure. 

 

“I know, Hazza,” he said. He lifted Harry’s wooden hand with his own candley one, careful not to ignite, and leaned down, pressing kisses to it. “This will have to do until we’re human again.”

 

Liam watched his friends sadly. It was his fault that they were like this. He might have earned his punishment, but his friends and the other servants were innocent in all this. He hated that they had to suffer because of hi m. 

 

_Nearly ten years later and I can finally think of someone other than myself. Well,_ he thought to himself,  _the only way to fix it is to win Zayn over. Let’s go give him his library._

 

 

Liam found Zayn warming up by the fire, a cup of tea in one hand and a book in the other. 

 

“What are you reading?” he asked, just as Zayn took a sip of tea.

 

“Romeo and Juliet,” the cup answered for him. Liam was pretty sure she was one of Louis’s little sisters, although it was hard to tell which was which.

 

Zayn, clearly not yet used to his cups talking while he was drinking out of them, startled and  spilled tea all down his front. 

 

“Oops,” the little girl said. 

 

“It’s okay, Daisy,” Zayn replied. “I think I’m done now though, if you want to go back to the kitchen?”

 

“Okay,” Daisy said agreeably (and it _was_ one of Louis’s sisters, Liam noted) and she hopped away out of the room as soon as Zayn set her on the floor.

 

Z ayn gestured to his wet shirt. “I’m just going to change,” he said. “I’ll be right back.”

 

“I’ll come with you,” Liam said. “I’d like to show you something and your room is on the way.”

 

Warily, Zayn nodded. “All right then. It will just take a minute to change.”

 

Liam walked alongside Zayn back to his room, all too aware of how he looked. Was he taking up too much space in the corridor? Was he going to hit Zayn in the head with his horns? Was his fur touching him? Did his claws scrape too much on the floor, was it annoying to listen to? He truly felt like a hideous beast beside Zayn, with his shiny jet-black hair, warm golden eyes and tan skin. Liam knew it was fashionable to have pale skin, or at least it had been last he knew, and anything else was a mark of low class, but he didn’t care, Zayn was beautiful.

 

Liam hovered awkwardly in the doorframe when they reached Zayn’s room, as Zayn crossed the threshold,  dropped his book on a nearby table, and stripped off his shirt. “You can come in,” he said. “It is your castle.”

 

Liam stood frozen for a moment before he remembered himself and quickly stepped inside. It was hard to concentrate while Zayn had his shirt off, and so much more of that wonderful skin was revealed, along with dusky nipples and a dusting of dark hair leading down his stomach and disappearing into his trousers.  Zayn pulled another shirt over his head, then moved his book to  the bed , and Liam came back to himself.

 

“Romeo and Juliet, honestly. There are so much better things to read,” he grumbled. 

 

“Like what?” Zayn replied defensively. 

 

Liam shook his head. “ Just c ome with me,” he said. Zayn followed obediently behind Liam, as he led him to the library. Liam started to open the door, then paused. “Close your eyes,” he requested. Zayn arched a brow. “ It’s a surprise,” Liam elaborated. Zayn seemed satisfied with that answer and did as Liam asked. Liam opened the doors and led him inside. 

 

“Can I open them now?” Zayn asked.

 

“Not yet,” Liam said, hurriedly moving around the room and opening the drapes to let what weak, winter sun would come into the room.

 

“Now?” Zayn asked again, when he no longer heard Liam moving. 

 

“Okay, now,” Liam agreed.

 

Zayn opened his eyes and gasped, spinning around to take in all of the books covering every wall, three times taller than he was himself. 

 

“You could start over there,” Liam said, pointing to a corner. “I’m sure there’s something better than Shakespeare.”

 

“I’ve never seen so many books in my entire life,” Zayn managed to say, sounding completely in awe. “Have you read them all?”

 

“Well, not all,” Liam said. “Some of them are in Greek.”

 

“Was that a joke?” Zayn asked, delighted. “You make jokes now?”

 

“Maybe,” Liam mumbled. 

 

Zayn spun around again, drinking in the sight of the books. “This is wonderful,” he sighed.

 

“You like it?” Liam asked. 

 

“Very much,” Zayn breathed.

 

“Then it’s yours,” Liam said definitively. “You can come here as often as you like, and read anything you please.”

 

Zayn’s mouth dropped open.  “Thank you,”  he said. “Thank you so much!” He took Liam’s  paw in his hand and squeezed it, once, before letting it drop and rushing to the nearest shelf to marvel at the texts it contained.

 

In the doorway, Harry positively beamed at Louis. “This was a brilliant idea, love. It looks very promising.”

 

Louis grinned back, and his flames glowed a little brighter. 

 

 

The next day,  Liam and Zayn had breakfast together. It was a simple meal, just porridge, but it was the first time Zayn had agreed to dine with Liam, and he was nervous.  He wolfed his porridge down to avoid having to make small talk.  It wasn’t until he saw Zayn staring at him, spoon halfway to his mouth, that Liam remembered that his style of eating was as far from proper table manners as one could get. He wiped his face with his napkin abashedly. 

 

One of Louis’s sisters nudged a spoon towards him, and he picked it up hesitantly. His mouth wasn’t designed for silverware anymore, his thin lips and large fangs not able to easily maneuver it. The spoon was dwarfed in his hand, but he tried his best, pouring a spoonful of porridge into his mouth and trying to catch it on his tongue. It still made a mess. 

 

He glanced over at Zayn, certain he’d see only disgust in his eyes. But instead, Zayn’s expression was warm and full of compassion as he set his own spoon down and picked up his bowl. Liam brightened immediately, understanding what Zayn was indicating, and he picked his own bowl up as well. Together, they sipped their porridge from the side of the bowl. They even had an enjoyable conversation about the book Zayn had begun reading the previous night.

 

After breakfast,  rather than watch from a balcony, Liam joined Zayn when he went outside. “What do you do out here?” he asked.

 

Zayn shrugged. “Play with the dog. Visit Phillippe. Feed the birds. It’s  just  nice not to be cooped up in that castle all the time.”

 

Liam worried his lower lip between his teeth. “Until the other day, when I rescued you from the wolves, I hadn’t been outside, except for on the balconies, in years,” he finally admitted.

 

“Well no wonder you were so grumpy then,” Zayn blurted out before he could stop himself. “Don’t get me wrong, I love to curl up inside with a good book, but I enjoy getting fresh air too. It’s healthy for you.”

 

Liam sighed deeply, a sound that rumbled in his chest. “I suppose you’re right.”

 

“Of course I am,” Zayn said. “Here, watch how I feed the birds, then you can take a turn.”

 

Liam had never been interested in birds before, but he watched raptly as Zayn scattered some seed on the ground, and all kinds of wild birds flocked to him. He held out his hand, palm full of seed, and birds fluttered to land right in his hand and eat from it. When all of it was gone, Zayn reached into a small sack he was carrying at his side. “Cup your hands,” he instructed Liam. Liam did so, and Zayn poured some seeds into them.

 

Liam held out his hands to the birds, but they flew away from him. Chagrined, he crouched down so as not to be so big and imposing, and offered again, and again they fluttered back. He did an odd crouching shuffle toward them, desperately wanting to succeed at this and show Zayn (and himself, truth be told) that he wasn’t all bad, that birds would eat from his hands too.

 

Again, he failed, and for the second time that day, he glanced fearfully at Zayn. Maybe he’d tolerate bad table manners, but certainly he wouldn’t tolerate a creature so horrific that birds were frightened of him. And, for the second time that day, he found only compassion staring back at him. Zayn put his hand gently on Liam’s, and pushed his hands to the ground. He put more seed in his hands where he had spilled it in his haste. Liam looked at the birds, which still didn’t seem too sure of him. Zayn made a little trail of seed leading from his hands to the birds, and one brave little sparrow nibbled at the seed on the ground before hopping up into Liam’s hands.

 

Liam beamed, then proudly held his hands towards Zayn. Zayn smiled back, and it was a different smile than Liam had ever seen. Zayn blushed and turned away, but Liam didn’t dare follow for fear of disturbing the birds.

 

_He glanced this way_ , Liam thought,  _I thought I saw. And when we touched, he didn’t shudder at my paw. No...it can’t be. I’ll just ignore. But then...he’s never looked at me this way before._

 

 

Zayn ducked behind a tree to gather his thoughts. This behavior was new, and a bit alarming. To see Liam acting so kindly toward him, and so excited about the birds, and unsure of himself, it was was very sweet. And Zayn wasn’t sure how to feel. He peeked around from around the tree and smiled to himself. Liam was now surrounded by birds, a dozen of them all down his arms and on his head. _Who’d have ever thought that this could be? True, he’s no Prince Charming. But...there’s something in him_ _that I simply didn’t see._

 

To distract himself, Zayn scooped up a handful of snow and formed it into a perfect snowball. He waited until the birds fluttered away, out of food, before he threw the snowball at Liam, hitting him full in the face.

 

Liam snapped his head up to look at him, a look of pure shock on his face and snow dripping from his fur. Zayn laughed and half-ducked back behind the tree, throwing another snowball as he hid. Liam’s face settled into an expression of competitiveness, and he scooped up a massive armful of snow, packing it together roughly. He hefted the huge snow-boulder above his head--

 

\--Where it promptly disintegrated, covering him in snow again and knocking him onto the ground. Liam roared, almost literally, with laughter, and Zayn came out from his hiding place, pelting Liam with yet more snowballs, joining him in his laughter.

 

Zayn got too close, though, and Liam grabbed him around the waist, pulling him down into the snow with him and shoving handfuls of the stuff inside his fur cloak and down the collar of his shirt. Zayn laughed helplessly, shrieking as the cold snow melted against his skin. He shoved ineffectually at Liam, trying to push him down into the snow but failing due to Liam’s sheer size. After a moment, Liam gave in and let himself be pushed, and Zayn pretended he didn’t know Liam was letting him win, shouting triumphantly as he shoved snow into Liam’s clothes too, and shouting how unfair it was that Liam had fur to protect him. At that, Liam looked hurt.

 

“I’m only teasing,” Zayn said, not wanting Liam to look that way anymore.

 

“Oh,” Liam said. “No one has ever teased me about this before. I think they didn’t dare.”

 

“If it bothers you, I won’t anymore,” Zayn said.

 

Liam considered it. “I don’t mind,” he said finally.

 

“Well then I’ll race you to the castle, Fluffy,” Zayn declared, before leaping to his feet and bolting.

 

Liam shouted in surprise and chased after him.

 

 

Later, in dry clothes, Liam and Zayn sat in front of the fire together, sharing one book and taking turns reading pages aloud. Harry and Louis spied on them from the doorway.

 

“Well, who’d have thought?” Louis said. “Who’d have guessed they’d come together on their own?”

 

“You know, perhaps there’s something there that wasn’t there before,” Harry replied.

 

“Zayn could really be the one,” Louis said. “He could break this spell, and we could all be human again, and I could see your beautiful face again.”

 

Harry snorted. “I was ten years old the last time you saw my face, how do you know it’s beautiful?”

 

Louis reached out, making sure to extinguish his flames, and put his hands on either side of Harry’s face. “Because, I know you’re beautiful. Your face has to match the rest of you.”

 

“I thought I was the hopeless romantic here, Lou-miere,” Harry murmured.

 

“I have my moments,” Louis retorted. He leaned in and kissed the top of Harry’s head, though he knew Harry could barely feel it. “I love you.”

 

“I love you,” Harry replied. “And I can’t wait to see your face again too.”

 

_There may be something there that wasn’t there before._

 

 

“Have you ever been to a ball?” Liam asked Zayn one night.

 

“A ball? Of course not, I live in a tiny village. The fanciest thing we have is a tavern with stuffed deer heads on the walls.”

 

Liam hesitated. “Well...would you like to go to one? Or would you, if someone asked?”

 

Zayn considered. “I’ve never really thought about it, I never thought I’d have the opportunity. I suppose so, sure, I’d go to a ball.”

 

“Well, I have an entire ballroom that hasn’t been used in years. And it wouldn’t be a real ball, but I thought, maybe, if you wanted, we could dress up and play some music, dance a little--”

 

“I’d love to,” Zayn interrupted. “That sounds lovely.”

 

“You would? It does?” Liam’s face lit up with excitement. “We’ll do it tonight then! I’ll let you get ready, and I’ll get all the arrangements made.” He stood up and rushed off in a whirlwind, leaving Zayn a little taken aback at what had just happened.

 

He chuckled to himself, pleased to see Liam so excited. It suited him much better than the brooding, angry persona he’d had when Zayn first met him. Zayn stood up as well and headed back to his room. If he was going to dress for a ball, he’d need some help.

 

“Lou!” he called when he entered the room. “Lou, I need your help!”

 

Lou woke with a start. “What’s that, love?” she said. “You need help?”

 

Zayn nodded. “Yes. Liam’s asked me to a ball. I need something to wear.”

 

“Ooh, I have just the thing!” Lou said, delighted. “Hold on one minute.” There was some rustling noise from inside the wardrobe, and then she opened triumphantly. “How about this?”

 

Zayn looked over the clothes. They looked like they’d be about his size. “That looks great,” he said. “Except for this,” he added, prodding at the powdered wig curiously. “I don’t think that’s really my style.”

 

“Right you are, dear,” Lou said. She withdrew the drawer, there was more rustling, and then she opened again, sans wig. “Now let’s get you ready for the ball.”

 

Zayn took a bath, then put on the elegant clothes Lou had picked out for him. He spent quite a lot of time in front of the mirror, looking at himself from every angle. While he was doing that, Lou disappeared for awhile and returned with a hat stand he hadn’t met before. The hat stand began styling his hair for him, following the occasional direction from Lou.

 

There was a knock at the door, and Harry and Louis peeked in. “Liam sent us to see if you were ready,” Harry explained. “Oh, Zayn, you look gorgeous,” he gasped.

 

Zayn blushed. “Thanks,” he responded.

 

“Do his eyes,” Louis said to the hat stand, who gave a little bow and then leaned in, swiping something over Zayn’s eyelids. He moved with expert precision, even as Zayn squirmed, unused to having anything so close to his eyes.

 

“That’s perfect,” Louis proclaimed. “You look so good.”

 

“Come on,” Harry said. “Let us escort you to the ballroom.”

 

Zayn let himself be led of the room.

 

 

Liam paced at the foot of the grand staircase. He wore a blue jacket with long tails that almost hid his own, and a ruffled shirt. His trousers were still too short, and he couldn’t wear shoes over his clawed feet, but for the first time in years, he didn’t feel quite so hideous. He only hoped Zayn didn’t think so either.

 

He was jarred from his thoughts by music beginning to play, and he looked up as Zayn descended the stairs. He gasped out loud as Zayn came closer. He was beautiful, absolutely stunning. His hair was done up in a kind of swirl, and he wore a gold jacket that clung to his broad chest. His black trousers were sinfully tight, accentuating every curve, and he wore heeled boots that clicked with every step he took.

 

“You look beautiful,” Liam said, when Zayn finally reached him.

 

Zayn ducked his head. “Thank you. You look good too.”

 

The music swelled, Harry and Louis began to sing, and Liam held a hand out to Zayn. “Would you like to dance?”

 

“I’d love to,” Zayn whispered back, and took Liam’s hand. He allowed Liam to lead him around the dance floor, matching his every move. Liam twirled him around as the music played on, and Harry and Louis sang.

 

_Tale as old as time, song as old as rhyme. Beauty and the Beast._

 


End file.
